506 Journal of Agriculture, Victoria. [10 AuG.> 1918. 



The beans produced by different varieties vary in size, colour, and 

 shape, as well as in oil content. For practical purposes, the varieties 

 may be grouped as large and small-seeded forms. The former are more 

 prolific in yield, and the oil obtained from them is used chiefly for 

 lubricating and industrial purposes, the small-seeded varieties yield the 

 better-quality oil used in medicine. 



2. Cultivation. — Since the castor plant is sensitive to frost, it requires 

 a warm climate, or a temperate climate with a long summer. In 

 general, it will succeed in any locality Avhere maize will ripen. Moisture 

 is essential for the germination of the seed, but when once the plant is 

 established, it requires little rain, and excessive rainfall is injurious to 

 it. The most suitable soils are rich, well-drained, sandy, or clayey loams, 

 or in general soils which will produce good wheat or maize crops. Very 

 loose sand and heavy clays are alike unsuitable. 



Deep ploughing and harrowing are essential. The plant is exhaust- 

 ing to the soil, and, except in virgin land, requires manuring. For this 

 purpose, the residual cake left after expressing the oil is valuable, and 

 the leaves and . seed husks of the plants are also useful if ploughed in. 

 Pure crops should not be taken from the same land more than once in 

 five or six years. In India, it is not often grown as a pure crop, but is 

 usually grown as a hedge round cotton or sugar fields. The plants are 

 not liable to the attacks of fungi or insects to any great extent. 



3. Harvesting. — The capsules of the small-seeded varieties begin to 

 ripen in four or five months, those of the large-seeded varieties in seven to 

 ten months after sowing. Since when ripe the capsules of many varieties 

 burst suddenly and scatter the seed to a considerable distance, it is 

 necessary to gather the spikes bearing the capsules as soon as they show 

 signs of ripening. When ripening has commenced, the crop requires 

 looking over once a week in order that ripening capsules may be gathered. 

 An attempt has been made in the United States to produce a variety 

 which ripens all its capsules at once, but apparently this has not been 

 accomplished. 



The capsules when gathered are spread out on a floor, preferably in 

 an open shed where they are exposed to the sun and protected from 

 the rain. They need to be turned over from time to time. When all 

 the capsules have shed their seed, the husks are removed and the seeds 

 swept up and collected. Capsules are also gathered from wild plants, 

 and the seed obtained in the same manner. 



India is the principal producing country, exporting annually about 

 1,500,000 cwts. of beans. In addition, about 1,500,000 gallons of oil 

 are exported annually from seed crushed in India. Before the war, 

 about 400,000 gallons of this oil were exported to Australia. 



4. Extraction of the Oil. — Castor beans are crushed by crude native 

 machinery in India as well as by more modern machinery. Beans 

 imported to Europe are crushed chiefly at Hull and Marseilles by 

 methods similar to those adopted for other oil seeds. The only firm 

 in Australia which manufactures the oil from imported seed is Lycett 

 Proprietary Limited, ]^ormanby-road, Montague, Melbourne. 



